Question for the Lincoln Variety Experts

joefro

I recently got the latest Cherrypicker's guide and have been having fun searching through $50 of cents. Haven't found anything in the book yet but I did stumble across something "odd" and wanted to know if anyone had seen this before.

I came across a nice shiny 1987-D, and when looking at the mintmark through my loupe I can see that the mintmark has been "shifted" a bit revealing the silvery zinc underneath. It looks like a RPM, but instead of another raised mintmark overlapping in copper, it is just flat in shiny zinc. The zinc comes out from under the D down and to the right, in the "4 o' clock" direction.

Sorry I know this thread may be "useless without pictures" but I have no real way to take a picture of something so small. I'm just wondering if this is some common sort of PMD or a mint error of some sort. Has anyone seen this before? Thanks in advance for your help.

PS... I also found a well worn 1915-D and a 1929-S in these bank rolls!

TheRegulator

This is a pretty common occurrence and one of the many flaws of the copper plated zinc planchets. As the blank is struck and expands radially, some of the copper plating may be stripped from the underlying zinc, especially around sharp design elements such as the mintmark. Sometimes when you find an otherwise choice brown AU Zincoln there is that little puff of white from the exposed and corroded zinc around the mintmark.

Nice scores on the '15-D and '29-S! Both are excellent finds and dates/mms I have never plucked from circulation.

VMRCC

Simply a split in the plating and quite common on the earlier zincolns.

joefro

Thank you both for the information. Man, this is a great place.

WaterSport

Sometimes the shift is in other locations as well. have fun searching!!

WS

Type2

You are on track next stop Cherrypicking. Yes you will find alot of that in new zinc cents.

tahoe98

...you'll probably find them later too, when they plate steel cents with copper. if that comes to pass.